US forces at Boyds base in Poland expressed their hope that their increased presence on the territory of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally would provide stability for the region, in light of the escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine.
"What we are focusing on is reassuring our allies and partners in the region that the United States is present," said US officer John Kolashsky, on the sidelines of a visit to the base by - yesterday, Friday - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Poland's Marius Blaschak.
Kolashsky explained that the US forces are training "to build the collective readiness of our units, in addition to their units, and also to show that we are able to work together" with the Polish forces.
During the visit of Austin and Blachchak, armored vehicles were displayed inside a large hangar.
On a runway at the base, there were 3 "Osprey" military aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically, often used by US special forces.
Poland usually hosts about 4,000 US troops in turns, part of them as part of a NATO-led battle group that was sent to the region following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
During the current crisis, US President Joe Biden paid an additional 4,700 military, in a move criticized by Moscow, which called for reducing the presence of NATO forces in Poland and the Baltic states, which were previously under the Soviet umbrella.
Yesterday, Friday, the two ministers held a press conference in Warsaw, where the Polish minister saw that "the support of the United States at this difficult time is evidence of the responsibility and steel commitment (of Washington) to the security of Poland and Europe," warning against the "imperialist policy of the Russian Federation."
Austin stressed that the forces are prepared for a number of contingency possibilities, including the evacuation of American citizens from Ukraine, adding, "Poland knows firsthand the high costs that victims of aggression pay from its great neighbors."
And international relations researcher Greg Lovesky said the additional US forces are "welcome" in the face of "a growing sense of insecurity" over the past years in Central and Eastern Europe.
And he continued, "This growing sense of insecurity has been underestimated, and even ridiculed by some European countries," referring - in particular - to French and German politicians who considered them "stigmatizing Central and Eastern Europe with Russiaphobia", while the current situation proved that the other opinion He was right from the start.